December 2009 - Posts

• Another DUI Cop Caught Duplicating Arrest Reports

  I’ve written in the past about what I call "Xeroxed reports" in DUI cases — the increasingly common practice by lazy and/or dishonest cops to simply copy the facts from other reports or use templates in creating an essentially false investigation report.  See Ready-Made DUI Arrest Reports and "Xeroxed" DUI Symptoms. For an example of [...] Posted Dec 27 2009, 12:27 PM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• Driving While Texting vs Driving Under the Influence

  So which is more dangerous: driving under the influence or driving while texting?  And which one is severely punished? Dewd, U Think DUI is Bad…Try DWT CNET News, Dec. 22 — It’s no surprise that driving while texting (DWT) falls under the category of driving while stupid (DWS). It’s even been compared with driving under the influence (DUI). [...] Posted Dec 23 2009, 06:51 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• DUI Roadblocks Act as Deterrents, But…Don’t Tell Anyone

  I’ve posted repeatedly that DUI roadblocks, aka "sobriety checkpoints", are ineffective at apprehending drunk drivers.  See, for example, Do DUI Roadblocks Work? and Do DUI Roadblocks Work? (part 2).  Faced with irrefutable facts, police agencies simply switch horses and say that they are effective as deterrents.  In other words, "Ok, they don’t work but they scare [...] Posted Dec 18 2009, 10:58 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• Hundreds In Denver Possibly Convicted With Falsely High Blood Tests

  I’ve written often in the past about the unreliability and inaccuracy of breath tests in DUI cases. Because some readers have said, "Ok, but what about blood tests?", I’ve also pointed out the many problems with testing blood samples as well.  See, for example, Fermentation in Blood Produces…Alcohol and What Happens if a DUI Suspect’s [...] Posted Dec 14 2009, 12:26 PM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• Will Ignition Interlock Devices End Drunk Driving?

  MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) has been very successful over the past two decades in using their considerable influence with legislators and federal agencies to get new laws passed designed to curtail or eliminate drunk driving.  Among these have been dropping the blood-alcohol level to .08%; per se laws (illegal to drive with over .08% [...] Posted Dec 11 2009, 07:26 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• Who Cares About the Rights of Those Accused of DUI?

  For many years now I’ve written and lectured extensively on drunk driving litigation –on the science of blood and breath alcohol analysis, the flaws in breathalyzers, the ineffectiveness of field sobriety testing. In recent years, however, my focus has increasingly shifted to the gradual erosion of constitutional rights in DUI cases. So who cares about drunk [...] Posted Dec 05 2009, 02:34 PM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog